Agb Speaker, die toestand van hospitale op die platteland is 'n belediging vir die mense wat daar woon. Tydens 'n onlangse besoek aan drie hospitale in die Noord-Kaap - Calvinia, Williston en Carnarvon - was twee sake baie opvallend.
Eerstens kan net met ho lof gepraat word van die toewyding en professionaliteit van die personeel van die hospitale - dit is dokters, verpleegpersoneel en assistente - ten spyte van die feit dat hulle onder baie moeilike omstandighede werk. Tweedens kan ongelukkig nie dieselfde van die Departement van Gesondheid ges word nie.
Die hospitaalgeboue, tien jaar gelede nog stewige en goed versorgde geboue, is vinnig besig om tot runes te verval. Geen instandhouding van die geboue vind plaas nie en plaaslike inwoners wat probeer help om die geboue te red word nie vir die gekoopte materiaal vergoed nie, om van arbeidsvergoeding nie eens te praat nie.
In Williston is pasinte vroer vanjaar versoek om hulle eie kos te verskaf. Die verskaffers het geweier om langer voorraad aan die hospitaal te verskaf aangesien die betaling van rekeninge maande agterstallig was. Die TV-program Fokus het hierdie skandelike praktyk gebeeldsend en eers daarn is die rekeninge betaal. Die tragedie is egter dat die proses tans besig is om hom te herhaal aangesien die betaling weer agterstallig is.
In plaas daarvan om miljoene rande in die nasionale gesondheidsversekeringprojek te pomp moet die regering daardie geld eerder bestee aan die instandhouding van bestaande hospitale op die platteland en aan die opleiding van lui, onbekwame amptenare by die departemente van gesondheid in al die provinsies. [Tyd verstreke.] (Translation of Afrikaans member's statement follows.)
[Ms D ROBINSON (DA): Hon Speaker, the condition of hospitals in the rural areas is an insult to the people living there. During a recent visit to three hospitals in the Northern Cape - Calvinia, Williston and Carnarvon- two issues were very conspicuous.
Firstly, one can only speak highly of the dedication and professionalism of the staff at the hospitals- that is doctors, nursing staff and assistants- despite the fact that they are working under very difficult circumstances. Secondly, the same can unfortunately not be said of the Department of Health.
The hospital buildings, which ten years ago still were solid and well- maintained buildings, are rapidly deteriorating into ruins. No maintenance of the buildings is taking place and local inhabitants who are trying to assist in saving the buildings are not being reimbursed for the materials bought, not to mention their labour costs.
Earlier this year at Williston patients were requested to supply their own food. The suppliers were no longer prepared to provide the hospital with provisions, as many of the accounts had been outstanding for months. The TV programme Focus broadcast this shameful practice and only afterwards those accounts were paid. But the tragedy is that the process is currently repeating itself, as payment is once again behind.
Instead of pumping millions of rand into the national health insurance project, government should rather spend that money on the maintenance of existing rural hospitals and on training the lazy, incompetent officials at the health departments in all of the provinces. [Time expired.]]